Enabling stereoscopic viewing utilizing parallax by combining a plurality of images with different viewpoints has been conventionally known. Three-dimensional images, which are displayed enabling stereoscopic viewing in such a way, can be generated in both animated images and still images.
However, in the three-dimensional images, a parallax which occurs between an observer's eyes is utilized, and thereby in the case that a parallax amount among the plurality of images is not appropriate, the observer will be caused to feel discomfort and fatigue. In particular, in the stereoscopic animated images, excessive change in parallax amount when switching each scene will increase discomfort and fatigue, and therefore discomfort and fatigue more easily occur compared to the stereoscopic still images.
Patent Document 1 (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20110261160) discloses an image information processing apparatus which is designed to smoothly change depth values when switching scenes, without causing discomfort and fatigue.
In contrast, stereoscopic image processing apparatuses for handling both stereoscopic animated images and stereoscopic still images have been known. Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-184377) discloses an image conversion apparatus for converting two-dimensional/three-dimensional images into three-dimensional/two-dimensional still images or into three-dimensional/two-dimensional animated images to facilitate image data. Patent Documents 1 and 3 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,219) disclose a method for reducing changes in depth values when switching between stereoscopic animated images and stereoscopic still images so as to prevent discomfort and fatigue.